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WHAT IS EDUCATION'^ 



AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE THE 



KIFa^KENXH ANNUAI. CONVENTION 



— OF THE- 



ALPHA PHI FRATERNITY, 



-AT- 



HAMILTON, N. Y.. OCTOBER lOTH, 1890, 



-BY 



RALPH W^ T^HOMAS. 



FUEIVIINGXON, N. J. 

H. E. DEATS, 

1891. 



V 



PylM 



(xEORCxE \V. KURROUOHtS, 

CRANBURY, N. J., 

PRINTER, BOOKBINDER RND STIITIONER, 



Gilt. 



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The trait of the time is progress. In the 
material and in the mental world, activity 
attracts. Man was satisfied to walk. Then 
the horse was harnessed to his will, — an iron 
horse next, which he improved and piished 
to its limit of speed. And yet unsatisfied, 
he ties his car to the lightning. At first, he 
crossed the waters in a dug-out. This gave 
way to oars, sails, steam, and now he is 
crowned who crosses the Atlantic in the few- 
est minutes. But in the face of such accom- 
plishment, man stands on his vestibuled 
trains, he walks the decks of his ocean grey- 
hounds, and noting the swift flight of birds, 
— he sighs. Achievement is the genius of 
the age. Discoverers are pushing into the 
sole remaining unknown lands. Scientists 
are bringing to light the secrets of nature. 
Inventors tread on each others heels. Scarce 
do we exclaim at one triumph, when a suc- 
cessor claims our homage. The world of 
thought, too, ieels this impulse. The 
human mind is revelling in freedom to think. 
Never has there been such activity. Never 



has the press been so industrious. No sub- 
ject so unimportant, no theme so rare as to 
remain unwritten. Papers, tracts, pamph- 
lets, volumes are coming in long procession. 
It is preeminently an age of literary activity. 
A citizen of this era, asked to name its 
grandest success, would wisely quote the 
sculptor's famous answer: "The next !" 

In the midst of these pulsations which are 
felt to the tips of society, what of the school- 
master.? What of the student? It would 
be strange indeed, if, surroiinded by so much 
of life, growth and inspiration, they should 
remain at rest. It would be unnatural. For 
the school is an integrant part of the .social 
structure. It moulds thought. It influ- 
ences life. It makes history. Of all our 
civic institutions, it is neare,st the popular 
life. \ If there is one ambition common to 
American parents, it is to educate their 
children. The schools are in touch with 
their environment. The air is full of the 
sound of discussion and debate. The old 
methods are challenged. New theories are 
advocated. Departures from old principles 



are not unconimon,^^Edvicational questions 
have ever been favorite themes for discus- 
sion. Educational method is the subject of 
the best thought. Other problems arouse 
more clamor. The tariff, the ballot, muni- 
cipal reform, — these are more liable to be 
noticed. But the activit}- of the pedagogical 
discussion is seen in the teeming columns 
of the educational press, in the institutes, 
the state associations and convocations and 
in the great gatherings of the National As- 
sociation. Who has forgotten how school 
circles were thrilled when the North Ameri- 
can Revieiv lifted ' 'the cross of a new crusade' ' 
against the examination system. Surround- 
ed, as we are, b}- this agitation, care should 
be taken not to make marking systems, 
methods, examinations, theories, the end of 
our thinking. >. There is something more 
important than methods, something more 
important than books, something more im- 
portant than multitixdinous educational con- 
ventions. Most important is the object ot it 
all. What is it all for? What does it all 
mean ? Whj' is the child sent to school ? 
What does the j'oung man mean by an edu- 
cation ? What is education? -. 

In its fundamental meaning an education 
is a kno'vledge of facts. Facts lie at the 
threshold. They are the foundation of the 
structure. There is no building without a 
foundation ; there is no educatioti without 
the substructure of acquired knowledge. 
This knowledge is the substance of the text- 
books — not crammed from cover to cover, 
but assimilated and understood. >It is that 
intelligent common-sense which can be ac- 
quired and cultivated, which a man must 
have to succeed, without which he becomes 
the laughing stock of his fellows. This ele- 
ment of education is wide spread.<The public 
.school system has done its work. We must 
all sympathize with that quiet contempt for 
ignorance which is pervading the conimun- 
it}'. Broader grow the smiles at Mrs. Mala- 
prop and Mrs. Partington. Who has not 
heard of that fair traveller who said that she 
had been to Venice, but was so unfortunate 
as to arrive just after a flood when all the 
streets were full of water, and every one had 
to go around in boats. Or of that alleged 
Harvard student, who, asked b}- a literary- 



lady of Boston for his estimate of Fielding — 
said that it was important of course, but 
that batting and base-running he thought 
were the strong points of the game. Or of 
that newspaper man who was before the bar 
of the State Assemblj- for contempt ; "Sir," 
thundered the speaker, "did you write this 
article?" "I ma}- have did it," was the 
reply — and a perceptible shudder told its 
effect on the audience. It seemed — for the 
moment, as if the thousand people present 
were grammarians. The severest disadvan- 
tage under which a 3-oung man can labor 
to-da}- is ignorance. It is an ever present 
revengeful spirit. It greets him from the 
pages of the dail}- newspaper. It humiliates 
him in societ}-. It makes him the butt of 
the sallies of intelligence. True, it is diffi- 
cult to tell just what knowledge makes a 
man intelligent. It is not neces,sarih- the 
knowledge gained in the schools. But 
wherever found, there are certain require- 
ments on which all agree. And the man 
who takes up life's labor without them is 
not an educated man. This element of an 
education was never so widely valued as it 
is to-day. It is necessary for admission to 
every higher school worthy of the name. 
We should feel proud of the fact that the 
state of New York now requires this pre- 
liminary education for admission to the bar 
and to the practice of medicine. Even 
around the great profession of teaching this 
safe-guard is being thrown. It was not long 
ago that a candidate wrote to a certain state 
department for a "stiff kit" to teach school. 
It is a difficult thing in this state to-da}- for 
an incompetent person to become a licen.sed 
teacher ; it ought to be an impOvSsibility. 
Most important of all, this elementary know- 
ledge is indispensable to standing in the 
great University of Life, where men are 
graded remorselessh-. The people test edu- 
cation as the}- prove precious coin, — there is 
the milling, the stamp, the color, the allo\-, 
but there must be he gold. 

Now this knowledge of facts has been 
likened to the foundation of a building. 
You have already- carried out the familiar 
simile. A foundation must be thoroughly 
laid. Trite as it may seem, of all the im- 
portant truths in life this is the most often 



overlooked. INIental foundations are laid in 
youth, and the tendenc}- is to begin too early 
to specialize. Already, the boy has selected 
his vocation, and is bending all his energies 
toward that single end. Studies which do 
not seem specially to fit him for this, he 
neglects. If mature years fulfill the hopes 
of his youth, it may be well. But what if 
he has chosen a life w-ork for which he is 
not fitted, or even for which he has no liking ! 
The desert traveller, following through 
weary weeks his dusty way, is gladdened 
by beauteous illusions, which, far in the 
distance, invite to cool and quiet oases of 
rest. Not until he is almost upon the spot, 
does the tantalizing picture fade away. Full 
many a school bo}' has looked far ahead in 
life, and seen in his profession, the flowing 
stream, the green banks, the .shade trees of 
the oasis — and has lived — alas ! to reach the 
looked for spot, and find naught but the 
sand of the desert. At such a time, nothing 
can take the place of the power to applj' 
one's self to the labor which may be at hand. 
Build foundations for an}- superstructure. 
Make no excuse for neglect. These dail}' 
tasks you perform, this knowledge 3'ou are 
now gaining, who can tell what strain it 
may be called on to endure. A distinguish- 
ed engineer invented a foundation for harbor 
structures. It was designed to .stand amid 
the smooth waters of a land-locked bay. But 
the other day he received a contract to put 
his foundation aiuid the storms and waves 
and shifting sands of Hatteras. No stvident 
can tell for what he is preparing. No man 
can divine what, in the providence of God, 
shall be his mission. He only is wise who 
lays the foundation well. 
.)> But education has a further meaning. An 
education is mind pozuer. Put into homely 
phrase, this is "the power to think for one's 
self." \It is that quality of mind exercised 
in original demon.stration, — the finest disci- 
pline in Geometry. This mental qualit}' 
sufiiciently exercised, becomes a habit which 
renders the thinker independent of mental 
preceptors. Then only is the man a free- 
man. Now, there is a diflerence between 
mental discipline and mind power. Power 
is the result of discipline. > Power is the 
ability to do. It grows out of discipline as 



niu.scnlar strength comes from phvsical exer- 
cise. This mind power, this ability to think, 
is, in a very important .sen.se, an education. 
It takes the scholar beyond the tutor's lead- 
ing strings. It enables him to acquire 
knowledge for himself; to leave the beaten 
paths ; to gaze on new scenes ; to quench his 
thirst at new springs. Possessed of true 
mind power, he shall feel that stern joy 
which comes from the successful grapple 
with the knotty problem. There is no bet- 
ter test of education than this ability to 
think for one's self. It is a power to be used 
in every day life. It may be applied to the 
most ordinary duty. Not all discoverers are 
famous. Not all investigators are known. 
Fulton building the Clermont, Field placing 
with labor of mind and body the submarine 
cable, Stanley' penetrating "In Darkest 
Africa" — these are but types of the educated 
man, every where. <The crowed who trimmed 
their .sails to the fickle winds, who waited 
patientl}' for the .slow moving ships to bring 
the news from Europe, who were content, 
with ease of body, to perambulate the well 
worn ways, — these typify the man whose 
mental activity ceases before mind power 
begins. Only the educated man can become 
the original investigator. The mind that 
would explore, mu.st be developed to the full 
measure of its power, — as that vessel must 
be braced and sheathed, whose captain would 
become a discoverer in the Arctic Sea. But 
such education is in demand ; such minds 
awaited. Si;rgery and electricity-, to men- 
tion no more, furni.sh rare opportunities to- 
day for original investigators. I .stood — 
.some time ago — in the amphitheatre of a 
medical college in the city of New York. 
Scores of students had gathered to see the 
result of a remarkable diagnosis. By an 
accident, the patient, an intelligent physi- 
cian, had l)een .stricken with paralysis. In 
the .short period of a daj-, he had lost con- 
trol of limbs, body, arms, brain. Even the 
power of speech was denied him. He forgot 
the ver}- alphabet. To restore him was to 
.solve a new problem in .science. The sur- 
geon did it. Upon the skull of the patient, 
he measured out a triangle. Then, he rea- 
soned — as exact as Geometrj- — as inexorable 
as Algebra. The symptom.s — movements — 



fi 



actions, of the patient — these were the corol- 
laries and the theorems on whicb was based 
this marvelous demonstration^ So he locat- 
ed the trouble, and on the indicated spot — 
hidden awa}- amid the convolutions of the 
brain — they found the cause of trouble and 
removed it. Three months later, the para- 
Ijtic walked across that room and spoke the 
alphabet. No wonder that the students of 
that college, accustomed though the}- were 
to skillful surger\% burst into applause. It 
was not for the cure ; it was not ss-mpathj- 
for the patient ; it was a tribute to that men- 
tal power which had enabled science to take 
one more step into the unknown. 

But, you .say, this is geniixs. I care not 
what you call it. The power there displajed 
is, in greater or less degree, within the at- 
tainment of every student. Its price is 
'^ron labor." * Genius ! They best defined 
-•^ho called it "the length of time a man can 
«iit," or "an infinite capacitj- for taking 
.pains." Shrink not from the price but 
strive for this high element of education. 
The weapons with which the Spartan sol- 
diers exercised were twice as heavj- as those 
with which they fought. So Sparta gained 
power. 

Our definition is not yet complete. In its 
best sense, an education is inspiratio)i. 
Without this, the life will be a failure. In 
spiration is that element in education which 
always remains. The preceptor is not ever 
with the student, urging him to his task. 
His place must be taken by some other force, 
or else the mind ceases to progress. There 
is no more suggestive sight than the man 
who has "finished his education." Not 
only has he not completed it ; he has never 
gained it. Education is motive power. Its 
possessor can never be at rest. For him, 
there are more worlds to conquer. Educa- 
tional inspiration abides and overcomes all 
obstacles. It is Elihu Burritt pursuing his 
studies at the forge. It is Sir William Jones 
turning to the study of the Oriental lan- 
guages in his old age. It is Roger Bacon 
beginning the study of Theology at eighty. 
It is Mr. Gladstone — turning from the dis- 
tractions of British politics to the study of 
the technical peculiarities of the Hebrew- 
diet. We must resolutel}- put out of sight 



the idea that an education may be finished. 
It co-exists with life. It may well be the 
prayer of the .student, that he may find this 
inspiring element in education. It is the 
pith of the saying: "He has found his 
work !" It is the enthusiasm of labor, which 
in its highest form seems to consume the 
very life. And it never comes until the man 
finds the work for which he has been fitted. 
Have you never seen this instance? Have 
you seen a boj- plod from day to day, with 
no special interest in his tasks, doing his 
work as work. And have you seen that 
same student — that same man — when at last 
he finds his special study — the work which 
appeals to just his order of mind.'' How 
listlessness changes to interest, inactivity- 
to effort, task to pleasure, plodding to run- 
ning, weakness to power. You can almost 
see such an intellect develop. It cannot 
better be described than to say : "The mind 
is waking up." Well, says Carl3-le, "Bless- 
ed is the man who has found his work ! Let 
him ask no other blessedness!" >There are. 
men who go through this world without 
finding that for which they are fitted. Life 
to them is a grand mistake. It is passed in 
a doze. The}- are never in earnest — never 
engaged heart and soul in their labor. Such 
men are not educated men — no ! not even if 
certified by the proudest university in the 
Old World or the New. • Inspiration springs 
from love of one's work. Once touched 
with this divine enthusiasm, the mind 
awakes. If thoroughly aroused, it never 
sleeps again. It is an educated mind — a 
mind led out — investigating — acquiring — 
growing to the end. Do you remember the 
di.stinguishing feature of the Battle of Mis- 
sion Ridge? It was fought without orders. 
A line of rifle pits at the foot of the hill, 
trench after trench up its sides, and a frown- 
ing line of fortifications on the summit, and 
the order of battle was to take the rifle pits 
at the base. But when that was done the 
army had waked up ; nothing could stop it 
— and on it went. Back on Orchard Knob, 
Grant was angrily asking, "Who sent those 
men up that hill?" "I didn't," said Thomas. 
"Nor I." said Sheridan. "But they are 
going to the top." Far up on Lookout 
Mountain was heard the booming of Hook- 



er's cannon, — but they were under orders. 
Away to the end of Mission Ridge rattled 
the musketry of Sherman, — but that was 
under orders. The centre was beyond orders 
and running away from Grant. vSlowly 
— painfully— they toiled up those rugged 
steeps, now fighting hand to hand — now 
crawling on hands and knees until the line 
in blue broke over the summit, and from its 
highest point they flung to the willing 
breeze, their much loved starry banners. It 
was not done b}' tactics. It was not done 
by orders. No general would have risked it. 
At the first rifle-pit the army awoke. For 
weeks they had been shut up in Chattanooga. 
They had looked famine in the face, they 
had scanned those surrounding lines in gray 
and thought of captivit}' or worse. They 
had seen artillerj' horses by the hundred 
drop by the roadside and starve to death. 
They had seen gaunt and haggard men fol- 
low the Commissary wagons with out- 
stretched palms to catch the dropping grains 
of corn and eat them raw. Now, the dream 
was over. Sleep had vanished. The army 
was in dead earnest. The weakling had 



become a giant. "No," said Gordon Grang- 
er, "I didn't order them up that hill. But I 
tell 3'ou, General, all hell can't stop the 
Army of the Cumberland, when once it gets 
started." 

When God wakes up a human mind he 
wakes it up for conquest. It stands not for 
orders. No obstacles daunt it ; no opposi- 
tion stays it. It grapples with difficulties. 
It treads at last, the heights of truth, a con- 
queror. 

Take with you, these thoughts : What 
is education? First: Acquired knowledge 
which is foundation. Second: Self-thinking 
which is mind power. Third : Enthusiasm 
in work which is inspiration. -^ — 

Brothers, we are proud of our heritage in 
an order which stands for all that is gener- 
ous in education. Let us be true to our tra- 
ditions. Let us have broad ideas of the 
meaning of these student days. Let each 
man build such a foundation as mayhap 
shall bear aloft a beacon light to cheer anr' 
to illume, — a beacon light, whose inscription 
shall be that upon the old perpetual calen- 
dar "Not for a year ; but for all time." 




I TRRflRY OF CONGRESS 

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